Nashville Predators » Matthew Lombardihttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators
The TennesseanSun, 16 Mar 2014 15:30:03 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6Preds hit free agencyhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2013/07/05/preds-hit-free-agency/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2013/07/05/preds-hit-free-agency/#commentsFri, 05 Jul 2013 14:59:03 +0000JOSH COOPER, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/?p=11074In the past, the Predators have often looked at free agency with caution. On the one hand it’s a day where a team can add a missing piece to a Stanley Cup contender. But it’s also a day where a team can make a mistake and set it back a year or two.

For the small-market Predators, those mistakes can prove costly.

Three years ago, Nashville locked in Matthew Lombardi to a three-year $10.5 million contract. At the time, it seemed like a great fit. Lombardi was a speedy 28-year-old two-way center who was perfect for Nashville’s system.

He suffered a concussion in the second game of the season, never played for the Predators afterwards and was eventually dealt to Toronto in a salary dump. But in that move, the Predators also sent promising young defenseman Cody Franson, a player who would look swell on their blueline right now.

This one bad signing cost the Predators two players.

Still, this is a day where Nashville’s major retooling can come to full fruition. Though it’s not the best free agent class, there are players the Predators can add who can help their roster. We took a look at them in today’s paper.

Expect Nashville to take a more cavalier mindset today. With Hal Gill’s buyout and Sergei Kostitsyn’s contract termination, the Predators should have close to $16 million of salary cap space to play with.

It was a common scene after January last season with the Predators. Matthew Lombardi would go to the doctor to receive treatment for his concussion. Then he would come out and see defenseman Francis Bouillon in the waiting room.

Lombardi, who now plays for Toronto, suffered a concussion in Nashville’s second game of the season, and missed 80 games. Bouillon was concussed on Jan. 16 and didn’t play again until early this season. Strangely, both concussions happened in Chicago.

Though the concussions were different — Bouillon’s involved headaches, and Lombardi’s involved head pressure — they struck up a friendship through their rehabs.

Lombardi was dealt to Toronto during the summer as part of a salary-dumping trade. The Predators had signed him to a three-year contract worth $10.5 million the previous summer, and he was expected to be their first-line center. Clearly that never happened, but he hasn’t missed a game with Toronto this season.

“I’m really happy for him to come back, and to come back and play pretty well and contribute real quickly,” Predators Coach Barry Trotz said. From that standpoint, I’m really happy for Matthew.”

During rehab, they got bored. With concussions, you’re not allowed to do physical activity until cleared by doctors. At times, in order to get out of the house they went to the pool together — just to talk. “I think it was more maybe to help the mental part of things,” Lombardi said. “I wouldn’t call it exercise, but we would go there and chit chat.”

Bouillon and Lombardi grew up in Montreal, which made bonding easy. Their wives are French-Canadian. “We spent a lot of time together, lunch, dinner with their family,” Bouillon said. “He became a great friend.”

They have kept up with one another this season. As both have returned from their concussions, they cheer each other on.

“Last year, we both were in pretty bad shape, but we spent much time together. I think our best rehab together was just talking about it and trying to find the right thing to do,” Bouillon said. “I’m proud for him and same for me. We both came back from long rehabs and we’re both playing, so it’s nice.”

A brief morning skate note: Former Predators defenseman Cody Franson will play tonight. Franson was part of Nashville’s salary dumping trade last summer, along with Lombardi. Franson has played four games and has one assist. He is a minus-5.

Matthew Lombardi came to the Predators as their big offseason acquisition last year. When he tested skating during training camp, several players came out of the locker room to see his speed. Lombardi barely got to show it in the regular season. In the second game of the season at Chicago, he went into the boards awkwardly and suffered a concussion. He continued playing, and only later realized he suffered a head injury.

At first, it seemed that it wouldn’t take Lombardi much time to return, but soon, it became painfully obvious that he was healing at a slower than expected pace. All season, Lombardi sounded hopeful for a return, but never made it back.

Next season: Signs point to a recovery for Lombardi. He does have the rest of June, July and August to rest and heal. But in the past, we’ve seen concussed players return, only to suffer another head injury (see Marc Savard or Eric Lindros). Nashville doesn’t have insurance on Lombardi, so there has to be a real worry for him moving forward.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2011/06/16/preds-in-review-matthew-lombardi/feed/0It’s all about the concussionshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2011/03/14/its-all-about-the-concussions/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2011/03/14/its-all-about-the-concussions/#commentsMon, 14 Mar 2011 13:11:24 +0000JOSH COOPER, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/?p=4284Today through Wednesday, the NHL’s general managers will meet in Boca Raton, Fla. And while a wide range of topics will be discussed, there are two issues on that will be front and center: concussions and head shots.

“That’s all you hear, day-after-day,” Predators General Manager David Poile said. “Obviously it has escalated to outside the hockey fraternity where you have companies and governments talking about it. Obviously it’s the main topic.”

Like most teams in the NHL this year, Poile’s Predators have not been unscathed by the concussion/head injury issue. Forward Matthew Lombardi has missed all but two games with a concussion, and defenseman Francis Bouillon has been out since Jan. 16 with a concussion. Both have said recently that they’re not symptom free.

“We want a good, hard physical game, knowing that injuries are inevitable,” Poile said. “We’re now in a situation where (concussions) are way too high and we have to find out the reasons why.”

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2011/03/14/its-all-about-the-concussions/feed/0Trade deadline synopsishttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2011/03/01/trade-deadline-synopsis/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2011/03/01/trade-deadline-synopsis/#commentsTue, 01 Mar 2011 07:09:24 +0000JOSH COOPER, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/?p=4086EDMONTON, Alberta Judging by what David Poile said — and the relative lack of movement overall around the league — it didn’t seem like there was a whole lot out there in terms of trades today. And after dealing a first-round pick and a conditional for Mike Fisher, it was tough to envision the Predators package more young assets for veterans.

I wasn’t at Poile’s press conference, but judging by his answers, he didn’t sound too encouraged about a near return of Francis Bouillon. Also, it sounds like the towel has officially been thrown in on Matthew Lombardi’s season.

That being said, Nashville is sort of going with a youth movement with Matt Halischuk, Blake Geoffrion and Jonathon Blum to try to make the playoffs. It’s definitely a gamble for Poile and the Predators. Before the season, the Predators believed they could accomplish special things with this group. But injuries have derailed them and forced them to go young.

On the plus side for the Predators, it didn’t really seem like any of the teams they’re fighting for a playoff spot got significantly better. The Kings would be the only one that comes to mind in their acquisition of Dustin Penner.

So begins the sprint. It will start tomorrow against the Edmonton Oilers. We’ll see if Nashville can continue the momentum of its Sunday victory over Columbus.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2011/03/01/trade-deadline-synopsis/feed/0Encouraging news on Suterhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2011/02/21/encouraging-news-on-suter/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2011/02/21/encouraging-news-on-suter/#commentsMon, 21 Feb 2011 22:35:13 +0000JOSH COOPER, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/?p=3965COLUMBUS, Ohio Purely based on numbers, you can say that Ryan Suter has been Nashville’s most important injured player this year. The Predators have gone 4-6-1 without Suter in the lineup. This is why Barry Trotz’s news that he was “encouraged” that Suter could play Thursday against Chicago was important.

Unlike Suter’s knee injury that knocked him out for 11 games, this upper body issue appears to not be that serious.

The Predators are expected to recall a defenseman from Milwaukee for Tuesday’s game against Columbus. Trotz indicated it could be one of four players — Jonathon Blum, Teemu Laakso, Aaron Johnson or Roman Josi.

Suter shoots left and plays the left side, so wisdom would indicate that the Predators would recall a lefty. This would mean either Josi or Johnson. But Trotz was most effusive in his praise of Blum, 22, a 2007 first-round pick who has yet to play an NHL game. Both Laakso and Johnson have seen time at the top level. Blum has 34 points in 54 games for Milwaukee this season.

In terms of other small newsy items, Sergei Kostitsyn did not practice in what was described as a maintenance day. Francis Bouillon is still symptom free from a concussion suffered Jan. 16 and is continuing his workout regimen. Trotz said forward Matthew Lombardi is not symptom free, but is joining Bouillon in some of his pool exercises.

This could have a profound effect on Nashville’s decisions at the Feb. 28 trade deadline. Today I asked David Poile about his proverbial wish list for the deadline. And here is what he said: “I would say a top-6 forward, someone who can play against top lines and produce offensively, I think that would be what I would probably covet the most.”

Poile also said there weren’t a lot of teams out there being sellers. He has a valid point. In the Eastern Conference, four teams, the Islanders, Senators, Devils and Maple Leafs are pretty much out of the playoff hunt and would classify as sellers. In the West, Edmonton would probably be the only team ready to surrender. So this would call for five sellers and 25 buyers, which at the moment indicates an uneven market.

But, a lot of what the Predators do in between now and the trade deadline hinges upon the returns of several injured players. Defenseman Francis Bouillon is in limbo with a concussion and hasn’t skated since Jan. 16.

Lombardi’s situation sounds better, but he still has concussion symptoms. Steve Sullivan (groin) and Marek Svatos (knee) are supposed to return within the next week, but what if they suffer setbacks?

“Right now we’re really happy with our defense for example, but I’m basing that on Frankie Bouillon coming back in the near future. If for some reason he wasn’t going to come back, that changes things a lot,” Poile said. “If we knew Matthew Lombardi could be back in the next two weeks to a month then that would totally change what we would be looking at. Steve Sullivan is getting ready to return, but how quickly can he get back into form and what level will he perform? Will he be healthy the rest of the year?”

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2011/02/04/poile-talks-deadline/feed/1Coaches want more from Wilsonhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2010/11/25/coaches-want-more-from-wilson/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2010/11/25/coaches-want-more-from-wilson/#commentsFri, 26 Nov 2010 04:52:14 +0000JOSH COOPER, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/?p=3065MINNEAPOLIS Greetings from the Twin Cities, where it is ridiculously cold. The low tonight is supposed to be four degrees. Count that on one hand!

Before the team left Nashville, I talked to Barry Trotz about a number of topics, one of which being Colin Wilson. The 2008 first-round draft pick has had a rough go of it lately. He hasn’t scored a point since Nov. 3, and had 9:54 of ice-time against St. Louis in Wednesday’s shootout loss.

Trotz touted the 6-foot-1, 214-pound Wilson’s numerous physical gifts, “he is strong as an ox,” Trotz gushed. But he feels Wilson needs to use that strength as more of a playmaker in the trenches, rather than a facilitator on the perimeter.

“He sometimes wants to play a smaller man’s game, and I want him to be more of a power forward guy,” Trotz said. “He doesn’t need 10 feet to make a play. He can make plays in traffic, he can get pucks on net, but he has a real heavy shot, he has to shoot it, and he has to trust his instincts that he is a good offensive player. He can score and we need him to score. He is a guy who can produce.”

At the start of the season, Trotz put Wilson at wing on a line with Matthew Lombardi at center and Martin Erat on the other wing. Erat has missed seven games this season with a back injury, and Lombardi has been shelved for all but two games with a concussion. This has thrown Wilson’s role in flux a times.

“He has great vision, and he has good hands. He’s not a fluid skater, but he can get there,” Trotz said. “If he can use those natural gifts and have a high determination level, of getting to the net and overwhelming people with some of his genetic gifts, the rest will come.”

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2010/11/25/coaches-want-more-from-wilson/feed/0Lombardi updatehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2010/11/15/lombardi-update/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2010/11/15/lombardi-update/#commentsMon, 15 Nov 2010 19:02:46 +0000JOSH COOPER, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/?p=2984For the first time since Matthew Lombardi suffered a concussion against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct.13, Coach Barry Trotz had some positive words about his centerman.

Trotz said that Lombardi was “feeling much better in terms of his situation.” Trotz said Lombardi is still in Montreal dealing with a personal matter and will be evaluated by Nashville’s trainers Wednesday.

Trotz sounded hopeful that Lombardi could start readying for a return soon: “Probably nothing this week, but if he has been feeling really well, hopefully next week.”

Defenseman Ryan Suter did not skate during Monday’s practice. Trotz said it was just a “maintenance day” and that Suter will make Nashville’s upcoming four-game road trip. Before Saturday’s contest against the Chicago Blackhawks, Suter missed the previous nine games with a “lower-body” injury.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2010/11/15/lombardi-update/feed/0No Blues for Suter and Erathttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2010/11/10/no-blues-for-suter-and-erat/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/2010/11/10/no-blues-for-suter-and-erat/#commentsWed, 10 Nov 2010 22:27:20 +0000JOSH COOPER, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/predators/?p=2940According to the Predators, defenseman Ryan Suter (lower-body injury) and forward Martin Erat (upper-body) will not make Nashville’s trip to St. Louis for Thursday’s game against the Blues. Both practiced twice this week in red non-contact uniforms.

Also, Matthew Lombardi continues to sit with a concussion. Lombardi was supposed to be re-evaluated Tuesday, but Coach Barry Trotz said Lombardi had a personal issue in his hometown of Montreal he needed to tend to.

I asked Trotz, once Lombardi is symptom free, and if there are no setbacks, how long it would probably take for him to return to the ice, and Trotz said about two weeks.

So, once Trotz says Lombardi has resumed physical activity, add another two weeks to his timetable.